Internet scammer faces £100k payback bill

Phoney spy ordered to pay back stolen cash

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Mr. Davies used dating websites to scam women out of thousands of pounds

An internet phoney who picked up lonely women and then stole their life savings, has been ordered to pay back over £100,000. David Davies, 52 from Derbyshire, used online dating websites to woo women with false stories of a career in the special forces.

He made up stories of his heroic exploits to impress his targets, and convinced many of them to hand over sums of money on the premise that they would have a romantic future together.

After he got his money, Davies would disappear and move on to new victims. But when police on both sides of the Atlantic received multiple complaints from heartbroken women, Davies - who has in the past dodged similar court cases by paying compensation - was ordered to pay £107,768 to two of the women he scammed. He also has to pay £15,000 in costs.

Ease of deception

This is a chilling example of how it's not only children who can be conned by ill-meaning men over the internet. Davies' online dating profile said he was seeking an "attractive lady with a zest for life and the better things it has to offer".

Derbyshire police solicitor Alison Clarke said, "Davies claimed to be a former member of the army who served in the SAS (Special Air Service) and did private work on their behalf, but he has never served in the army.

"In reality he used all these lies as excuses to allow him to get away from women on his terms."